Tag Archives: Ethical

Everyone has made roasts in slow cookers. It’s a fabulous way to make a delicious meal when you have a busy day ahead. And it’s so easy. After all, it’s just prepping the meat and veggies and dropping them into the slow cooker and letting the slow cooker do the work while you go off for the day. Easy peasy, right?

Today I wanted to share something simple with you. Brittany likes crispy potatoes. Who doesn’t? Problem is, the slow cooker doesn’t brown the vegetables. So here is what I did. I cut the soft crackling off the pork and allowed the pork to rest covered with aluminium foil. In a sauté pan, I rendered off the pork skin, making some crispy crackling.

What is a pork roast with out the crackling?

After I removed the crackling, I threw the potatoes in the pan and used the pork fat to brown the potatoes and bring in that delicious crunch. After I crisped up the potatoes, I used the left over juices to make a rich gravy.

It’s a difficult but delicious trade-off. Yum!

Ethically, I’ve used the whole cut, even the fat and juices. For the health conscious consumer like diabetics, pork fat is high in saturated fats and is not the best choices. There are may scientific links between saturated fats and cardiovascular disease. The choice to consume or limit your intake is ultimately yours. Generally I avoid it, but today, I indulged.

Oh sago… Where have you been all my life? Seriously a simple, delicious dessert that everyone will love. Sago is made from the starchy pulp of a specific type of palm tree. Yup, starch. That makes sago about 90% carbohydrates, so be careful, diabetics.

Ingredients

Method

Put the stevia, sago and coconut cream in a pot and cook over a moderate heat for 5 minutes, stirring continually.

Remove from the heat and place in the fridge until chilled.

Serve with toasted nuts and coconut.

Yum, give me extra nuts and coconut!

Observations

I adore sago. No, I mean I REALLY adore it. I could eat it all day long. It’s so easy and so delicious. Ahh sago……. *drool*

Diabetic Note: Banana is always bad for me. When it comes into the equation, my blood glucose levels get crazy. Having said that though, my bloods handled this dish exceptionally well.

Ethical Note: I want to do some research about sago. I am not sure how sustainable the crop is. Many south-east Asian rainforests are torn down to make way for crops such as palm sugar. For now, the jury is out until I can find the time to research this further.

Sometimes, clean fresh flavours are what inspires me the most. Don’t get me wrong; there is always a place for technique, but there is something delightful about pure ingredients. This quick slap together lunch is a classic example.

This is not my recipe. Not in the slightest. The full credit for this goes to Susan from Wild Yeast. Nevertheless, breakfast perfection has been achieved and it is my sworn duty to report such wins to you!

Sourdough hot English muffins with scrambled eggs. Just what the doctor ordered.

Ingredients – Sponge

Final dough

Method

Mix the sponge ingredients together. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and allow to rest overnight.

Cover and rest

Add the final dough ingredients and mix to incorporate. Turn out on a clean bench and mix by hand. The dough is very sticky, but resist the urge to add more flour. The mixture will thicken up after a lot of kneading – about 8 – 10 minutes.

When you start to knead, the dough will be extremely sticky. Resist the urge to add flour!

Use a bread scraper to get the dough off the bench and sprinkle with flour.

The dough will still be sticky but it will be usable.

Flatten the dough on the floured bench until it is about an inch thick. Use a cutter or a glass to cut out the muffins. Dust the outsides of the muffin with polenta.

Cover and let proof for an hour or three.

Heat a frying pan with a little oil over a low to medium heat. Cook for about 8 minutes on each side, turning regularly to maintain shape.

Cool on a wire rack. To use, slit the muffins with a fork and toast until golden.

before and after toasting.

Observations

I’ve made these several times now with mixed results. Take my advice; don’t allow the sponge to rest for more than overnight. It fails to rise when it’s rested for more. Make sure you allow it the second rest period after its been shaped.

Diabetic Note: There is nothing too evil here. Treat it like you do bread – one or two slices is allowable. More will wreak havoc with your blood glucose levels.

Ethical Note: Sourdough – enough said 🙂

I mentioned the bread scraper. It is a firm but flexible piece of plastic that is excellent for scraping bowls and manipulating dough. If you are getting aboard the sourdough train, make sure you get yourself one.

I happened to be at the Ballina Fisherman’s Coop recently when I spied this rather brilliant product. Kinkawooka Shellfish distribute 1 kg live, cleaned, scrubbed and de-bearded mussels in a bag that retail for around $15/kg. The product is fresh, tasty and easy to use. So, as usual, I jumped before I looked. I acquired some without even considering what I might actually do with them. Nevertheless, I wiped something up that fit the bill.

Method

In a deep sided pan, sauté the leek in a little olive oil. When fragrant, add the garlic and stir well.

Add the wine to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the mussels and stir once. Place the lid over the pan and sauté for 8 minutes.

Discard any mussels that have not opened. Stir the butter and parsley through the sauce and over the mussels. Season to taste.

Serve hot with pasta and crusty bread.

Remove any that don’t open; they were dead and may be tainted. All mine opened; a testament to their freshness!

Observations

I loved this product; there is nothing like fresh produce to remind you of the simple things in life. Even though they were cleaned, I did pick over them and notice that they were a few with tiny beards still in place.

Joe and Brittany both loved the sauce and pasta but hated the mussels. Neither are seafood fans so guess what? More for me!

Diabetic Note: There is nothing bad here. I have opted to avoid using cream in this dish but I did use the butter as a lower fat content substitute. Nevertheless, there is only a tiny amount so the only real carbohydrates in the dish comes from the pasta you serve it with. I used wholemeal fettucine.

And best of all, my Australian Sustainable Seafood Guide doesn’t recognise farmed mussels as being an unsustainable harvest and give it the green tick. Its one of very few seafood items that does get a green tick.

Method

In a large saute pan, fry the onions in a little oil until translucent. Add the spices and garlic and cook until fragrant – about 30 seconds or so.

Add the tomatoes to the pan and mix well. Add the chicken and chick peas and ensure they are coated in the mixture. Cook over a moderate heat with the lid on until the chicken is tender; about 15 minutes.

Submerge the chicken in the sauce.

Add the pumpkin and stir to mix everything well. Cook with the lid on until the pumpkin and chicken are cooked through. This may take another 20 or so minutes.

Adding the pumpkin

Garnish with toasted almonds and serve hot, with or without rice.

Observations

I adored the bold flavours of this dish. I am so used to Asian style curries that every now and then I will try a middle eastern curry and be blown away. The pumpkin is a winner in this dish and I think it won over Brittany too!

Brittany and I both adored the crunch of the nuts in the garnish. So much so that we ended up including a lot more than is strictly required for a garnish.

The sauce thickened up too much for me on a few occasions and I added a splash of water to it to keep it at the right consistency.

when the sauce has reduced too much, add some water.

I used a whole size 10 chicken in this recipe. I broke it down into pieces and removed the skin from the larger pieces. This reduces the fat content and makes it a healthier meal without losing on taste.

Diabetic Note: There are about 15 grams of carbohydrates in the pumpkin but the rice, as always is a killer. There are around 45 grams of carbohydrates per 150 grams (about half a cup) of cooked rice. Watch your serving sizes to stay out of trouble.

Ethical Note: I won this chicken in a raffle and instead of roasting it, I broke it down to use it in this meal. I reserved the bones to make my own chicken stock. Sustainability sometimes requires thinking outside the box.

I love beans of all variety, and broad beans are no exception. When I was a little girl, I grew up on them as a staple. Lately I’ve been craving them in my diet and when I stumbled across this gem of a recipe by Yummly, I knew I had to give it a try – with my own changes, of course! =)

Method

Soak the dried beans in water over night with a pinch of bicarbonate soda. After a good soak, slightly twist each bean or squeeze from the sides to remove the hard skins. Discard the skins. After a rinse under cold running water, the beans are ready to be used.

Put the stock in a pot and bring to a light simmer.

In a larger pot, add a drizzle of olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic until translucent. Don’t allow to brown.

Stir the dry rice into the mixture and give it a stir to coat it well with the oil, onions and garlic.

De-glaze with the wine and cook over a warm – moderate heat until the wine has been absorbed.

Add ½ – 1 cup of hot stock to the mixture and stir frequently while the rice absorbs the fluid.

Continue slowly adding stock until the rice is cooked. This will take about 25 – 35 minutes. Stir frequently to ensure the mixture doesn’t stick.

When the rice is tender, add the cream, cheese, sage and beans to the pot and stir it gently to combine it well.

Season to taste and serve immediately with some grated cheese to garnish.

A well made risotto should still show the individual rice grains and not be a gluggy mess. The black masses in the photo are peppercorns form the cheese.

Observations

Note 1: I recently discovered this wonderful Kraft’s product range Philadelphia Cream Cheese called Cream for Cooking. This is the first time I have used it and found it produced a really good flavour without all the carbohydrates. It boasts 60% less fat than regular cream, so look out for it.

I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with this risotto. It was creamy, filling, flavourful and the taste just lingered all night on my palate.

Diabetic Note: 100 grams of cooked arborio rice is about 35g carbohydrates. There are roughly 10 grams of carbs between the cream and beans. This meal will sneak in to the tightest carbohydrate budget as long as you observe strict serving sizes.

Ethical Note: Dried legumes allows you to use seasonal crops all year round. The ability to dry legumes for later use reduces wastage. Learn to love legumes and once you have mastered No Meat Monday, try Legumes Thursday!